Big things could be going on in downtown Woodland Park in June
if a plan created by Park State Bank & Trust President Tony
Perry comes to fruition.
In conjunction with beautification grants being given out to
downtown businesses by -the Woodland Park Downtown Development
Authority, Perry’s bank has authorized a simple loan program to
help local businesses with their own beautification projects. He
announced the program at the May 5 authority meeting.
Dubbed the Woodland Park Extreme Makeover, the plan is to set
things in motion in May for three weeks of intense work in
June.
“I’ve talked to business owners and they are all interested in a
face lift for the old town area from the Jeweler to Travel Trek,”
Perry said. “A lot of forces are coming together — business people,
the city and county, contractor and lenders. We’d like to
coordinate things in May and get all the work done in the first
three weeks of June.”
He said he hopes other lenders in the area also will jump on
board. He suggested that a few small items be left to finish on a
day at the end of June when a celebration block party can be
planned.
Sally Riley, Woodland Park planning director, said her
department is working on expediting permits and authority board
member Jim Ignatius, who also is a county commissioner, said he
would work with the county for the same thing.
“Some improvements won’t need permits,” Perry said.
Authority executive director Beth Kosley said 22 business owners
submitted applications for grant funds to make facade upgrades. The
grants are funded by a combination of $10,000 in authority funds
and a $20,000 grant from the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining
Co. The first grant application cycle for $15,000 was finished in
April, There will be another $15,000 available in the fall.
“The applicants requested a total of $265,460,” Kosley said.
“We’ll go into an executive session to look over the applications
and make a decision.”
City Manager David Buttery has been working on plans to make the
U.S. 24 crossing at Center Street safer. The intersection is one of
the most dangerous in the city, he said. Pedestrian traffic could
increase after an open air art gallery opens on weekends this
summer on the plaza between Woodland Park Curves for Women and
Buck’s Mountain Saloon & Grill. There also is a possibility
that another outdoor art venue will open across the highway and an
art school has already opened in the All Star Gas building.
“We’ll do two things,” Buttery said. “Bill Alspach [public works
director] will get flashing strobe lights for that intersection.
Studies show a 70 percent increase in driver reaction when these
kinds of lights are used. Second, we’re going to install urns at
each end of the intersection and fill them with flags pedestrians
can pick up and wave at cars when they want to cross.”
After more than a decade of trying, a few months ago Buttery
finally convinced the Colorado Department of Transportation to
lower the speed limit downtown from 35 to 30 mph.
“We would have liked to lower it to 25,” Buttery said. “CDOT
won’t let us put a crossing light at Center Street.”
Riley said creative ideas for transportation and traffic will be
explored as part of the city’s comprehensive plan update that was
kicked off later that evening.
Construction should begin soon on the performance pavilion on
the green between the Ute Pass Cultural Center and the Woodland
Park Public Library.
The city staff has decided where to put three new benches paid
for by a Colorado Wellness grant and new flower urns are almost
ready.
The city will have a Wildfire Prevention Fair 9 a.m. to noon May
16 at the Ute Pass Cultural Center.